Water level stabilizes at Hinckley Reservoir

Friday

Sep 28, 2007 at 12:01 AMSep 28, 2007 at 2:30 AM

Divers have bought the Mohawk Valley Water Authority a little bit more time before sunken water levels at Hinckley Reservoir pose any immediate threat to the region's supply of drinking water, authority officials said today.

Rocco LaDuca

Divers have bought the Mohawk Valley Water Authority a little bit more time before sunken water levels at Hinckley Reservoir pose any immediate threat to the region's supply of drinking water, authority officials said today.

Thursday night's rainfall brought the water level up a few inches, and divers exposed the openings of several water authority pipes at the bottom of the reservoir yesterday, according to authority Executive Director Patrick Becher.

The diver's are expected to return on Monday to uncover additional pipes closer to the bottom, Becher said. In the meantime, the reservoir's water level would have to drop about 8 feet between now and Monday in order to give reason for concern, he said.

"Obviously, the likelihood of that is pretty much close to zero," Becher said. "We're very pleased with what was accomplished, and we're in a good position to handle any irregularities that may come."

The reservoir's water level has dropped nearly 11 feet to 1,188 above sea level in the past month in the absence of rain locally and in much of the canal system area.
Because of a miscalculation, the reservoir was drained to within 3 feet of the point at which the region's water supply could have been disrupted.

Although the water authority's pipes have been covered by plates since the 1980s, divers determined earlier this week that the pipes were in better condition that initially expected, Becher said.

"We're very confident those will function the way they're supposed to," he said.

The reservoir's water crisis came as the Mohawk Valley and southern Adirondacks cope with a lengthy dry spell and unseasonably warm temperatures. Northern Herkimer County is now in a severe drought, while the Utica area has seen a significant rainfall deficit this year.

Late Wednesday, the state Canal Corp. began drawing 55 percent more water from Lake Delta in Rome to feed the canal system.

As of Friday morning, the reservoir's water level has stabilized and is not expected to lower any further at this point, Becher said.

Hinckley dam's release rate has been fixed at 120 cubic feet per second after being reduced from 370 cubic feet per second, Becher said. Because the reservoir's current inflow rate is about 150 cubic feet per second, Becher said the water levels have stabilized and should begin rising.

Also, Canal Corp. is no longer diverting any of the reservoir's water to feed the canal system. Instead, the water is currently being used to maintain West Canada Creek's water flow.

West Canada Creek has a large trout population, so the state Department of Environmental Conservation is currently monitoring the creek daily for both temperature and depth.

The rate of flow from the reservoir is not expected to be adjusted now unless the matter is discussed with the state DEC and Health Department, Becher said.

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